our useless youth, or is it the parents?
I walk. I know, I've mentioned it 100 times already. I walk in the mornings bright and early. I like going early actually, it's something that I got used to pretty quickly, and the streets are quieter and the traffic is light.
With one exception.
A couple of months ago I was walking the first leg of my route when a mini van passed me and pulled to a stop outside of a house. A kid got out and ran up to the door. Not sure how old this kid was, at first I thought he must be a little old for daycare (maybe 12ish?), but who am I to judge. He stuck something in the mailbox and ran back to the van and got back in. The van pulled ahead a couple of houses. Again, the kid hopped out of the van, ran up to the door, sticks something in the mailbox and ran back to the van.
It then occurred to me that he must be a paper or flier boy, and that his parents were actually driving him from door to door. At the end of the street I turned. The entire time I was practically keeping pace with this van. The van turned too. My quiet morning walk had turned into me walking near this van. Zoom, break, zoom, break, zoom, break. Ah, the peacefulness of it all. I could be wrong, but didn't kids with paper routes at one time wear a sack full of papers and walk these routes themselves? Huh? Apparently, times have changed and kids need to be driven from door to door.
You know what annoyed me the most? The way the kid ran back to the van: he ducked his head down and kept his arms wrapped around himself. You know, because it's soooo cold and treacherous out there.
I could almost see if the kid had multiple routes around town and his parents dropped him off at one end of the street and then waited for him at the other, but seriously, house to house. The kid didn't do two houses between van rides, no matter how close the houses were.
My husband did paper routes for years. I won't even tell you how old he was before he stopped. I make fun of him all the time. But he says it was good exercise, a bit of extra cash and he ate a chocolate bar every day that he bought from a store he passed. I really have my doubts whether his mom drove him from door to door.
It's not a winter thing either, I still bump into them every once in a while if I time it just right. Or wrong. The mornings are beautiful, there is no trouble afoot, and I think these kids could probably do a little of this type of thing on their own. Just ask Steven, I'm sure he'd be out there with his fliers tomorrow morning if he didn't have two jobs already!
With one exception.
A couple of months ago I was walking the first leg of my route when a mini van passed me and pulled to a stop outside of a house. A kid got out and ran up to the door. Not sure how old this kid was, at first I thought he must be a little old for daycare (maybe 12ish?), but who am I to judge. He stuck something in the mailbox and ran back to the van and got back in. The van pulled ahead a couple of houses. Again, the kid hopped out of the van, ran up to the door, sticks something in the mailbox and ran back to the van.
It then occurred to me that he must be a paper or flier boy, and that his parents were actually driving him from door to door. At the end of the street I turned. The entire time I was practically keeping pace with this van. The van turned too. My quiet morning walk had turned into me walking near this van. Zoom, break, zoom, break, zoom, break. Ah, the peacefulness of it all. I could be wrong, but didn't kids with paper routes at one time wear a sack full of papers and walk these routes themselves? Huh? Apparently, times have changed and kids need to be driven from door to door.
You know what annoyed me the most? The way the kid ran back to the van: he ducked his head down and kept his arms wrapped around himself. You know, because it's soooo cold and treacherous out there.
I could almost see if the kid had multiple routes around town and his parents dropped him off at one end of the street and then waited for him at the other, but seriously, house to house. The kid didn't do two houses between van rides, no matter how close the houses were.
My husband did paper routes for years. I won't even tell you how old he was before he stopped. I make fun of him all the time. But he says it was good exercise, a bit of extra cash and he ate a chocolate bar every day that he bought from a store he passed. I really have my doubts whether his mom drove him from door to door.
It's not a winter thing either, I still bump into them every once in a while if I time it just right. Or wrong. The mornings are beautiful, there is no trouble afoot, and I think these kids could probably do a little of this type of thing on their own. Just ask Steven, I'm sure he'd be out there with his fliers tomorrow morning if he didn't have two jobs already!
Comments
I remember hours of play as a kid, and my mom was not sitting there and supervising. Actually, I remember playing barbies or make-believe and when a parent would come in we'd stop doing so much pretending, because we knew it was a "kid thing" and we were almost a little shy about playing so freely in front of them. I wonder if we squash their imaginations now by hovering.
I told Jordan that she got to play one more night of baseball tonight. She happily exclaimed "Good!" I thought she was excited that she got to play again until she added "Because I don't want to play baseball anymore, I just want to go and play at peoples' houses." She's tired of all the structured activity and just wants to run around and make noise with her friends!